CD Projekt RED’s frequent glimpses of the sequel to its popular PC role-playing game, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, have certainly been impressive to date. The powerful new game engine, branching narrative, and nonlinear gameplay may just deliver an experience that could blow away fantasy RPG fans and set a new standard in the genre. So when can gamers expect to see Geralt of Rivia back in action?
Initially, CD Projekt RED had stated that The Witcher 2 would be scheduled for release some time in Quarter 1 of 2011 (January - March). However, this timeframe is no longer the target window as the developer announced today that the The Witcher 2 is scheduled for release on May 17, 2011.
The Project Lead at CD Projekt RED, Adam Badowski, explained why the developer selected the new release date:
The developer also confirmed that there will be a Collector’s Edition of The Witcher 2 and that pre-order information would be available on November 18, 2010.
We’ve decided to move the launch date back a few weeks to afford us more time to polish the game. Of course, we know that players would like to get the game as soon as possible, so we hope that they will forgive us! We strongly believe that the extra time spent polishing the title will be well worth the wait.
The new release date makes sense as the game’s main competitor in 2011 will likely be BioWare’s Dragon Age 2, which is releasing March 8, 2011. The games are very different in tone and mythology, but if released too closely together, each could have cannibalized the other’s sales to some degree. While this may not have been the prime consideration for the slight delay by CD Projekt RED, RPG fans will likely be appreciative that there will be some daylight between these two high-profile titles.
Are you glad The Witcher 2 won’t be releasing at the same time as Dragon Age 2? Or are you disappointed that you’ll have to wait even longer to tackles the challenges awaiting Geralt?
For more Witcher 2 coverage, check out part 1 and part 2 of our interview with CD Projekt RED at the Eurogamer Expo.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is set to release on May 17, 2011, for the Windows PC platform.
